7 Unexpected Health & Wellness Benefits of Knitting

Train your brain

Keep your wits alive and alert with intricate stitch patterns like lace and cables. They’re not difficult in terms of the stitches used, but do require a greater level of concentration than other projects. Scientists have suggested that regular mental stimulation has a positive effect on the memory and cell-repair regions of the brain. It’s certainly worth a try at any rate!

Create and meditate

There’s something satisfyingly hypnotic about watching your needles move in a repetitive rhythm, and it’s easy to find yourself drifting into a super relaxed state of mind. This is particularly the case with simple rib, garter or stocking stitch patterns with no shaping. Why not keep a simple scarf project on the go for this very reason? You can then pick it up when you need to zone out for a bit
and lose yourself in calming knitted simplicity.

Yarn makes great stress balls

If you don’t have time to sit and knit, a bit of yarn squeezing can do wonders for relieving the tension of the day. There’s science behind this too. It’s all to do with the sensory channels that are linked to your brain. If your hands are busy, it pulls some of the processing power away from your intellectual channels. That means your mind won’t be so absorbed in trying to make sense of all your trials and tribulations. It’s also fun to stroke yarn.

Take a break for instant gratification

Feel like all those jobs are getting on top of you and you’ll never complete that to-do list in a whole year of Sundays, let alone a month? Set an hour or two aside for a super quick knit like a coaster, mug cosy or something for baby. Sometimes the act of finishing one thing can really set your mind straight for the rest of the tasks you have to do. These easy baby bootees can be made in just an hour or so. Find the easy knitting pattern here.

Positive productivity

We all have those days when you know you’ve been busy but don’t have anything to show for it and that’s a pretty disheartening feeling. However, with knitting it’s the complete opposite. Even if you only get time for a couple of rows a day, you can see that you have achieved something. Your project has grown so that means you are moving in the right direction.

Friends in need

Although the traditional knitting circle has been the butt of many jokes over the years, there’s a lot to be said for getting together with fellow crafters and putting the world to rights. We’ve all come back from an evening with friends and said, “You know what? I really needed that.” Well, the same applies to knitting and nattering. That’s time well spent.

It can relieve your anger

While some people learn the knitting action with playful rhymes involving bunnies and a fellow named Jack, we find that the somewhat less sociable “stab it, strangle it, push it off a cliff” is great for taking out your frustration.
[LK disclaimer: this mantra is only suitable for knitting and should not be directed at people!]

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